


Pet Play

by Lillystone



Category: Original Work
Genre: Animal Transformation, Bullying, Child Neglect, Elementary School, Forgiveness, Friendship, Magic, Sick Character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-19
Updated: 2021-03-18
Packaged: 2021-03-27 21:40:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30129225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lillystone/pseuds/Lillystone
Summary: In the town of Henkan Valley, lived a very special girl. She had the power to transform those who have done wrong into animals. She would then aid them by helping them make up for their wrongdoings and gaining forgiveness. Those who had been transformed were forever changed for the better from this power. they would then go on to live much happier, kinder lives.Of course, that's assuming she can figure out how to use her power in the first place.
Kudos: 1





	1. The Bullfrog Bully~ Part 1

Little Jamie Masterson waited impatiently in her hospital room anxiously bouncing on the bed. She jumps up whenever a nurse would walk by hoping they were coming to see her. Jamie's dog, Sweetie, whines at her spastic owner causing Jamie to look over at her beloved pet. She sighs and sits down on her bed trying not to fidget. Sweetie trots over putting her head in Jamie's lap.

Jamie strokes Sweetie's head. "Sorry, Sweetie. I'm just so happy to be getting to go home! I've been stuck here forever!" Jamie explains. Sweetie whines in sympathy earning a true smile from the girl. 

Just then, the door to Jamie's room opened revealing two very familiar faces. Dr. Grace and Merka enter the room together causing Jamie and Sweetie to perk up. The two women are sisters and look very similar with their matching pink hair and eyes. However, Jamie always believed that they are not that similar at all. 

Dr. Grace lives up to her name and is full of grace and authority. She could talk a trypanophobic into getting all their vaccinations in one day and could easily command an entire room. Meanwhile, Merka is more silly and awkward. she is also a very clumsy person; something that Jamie has experienced first hand many times. Merka rushes over to Jamie nearly tripping on Jamie's heart monitor in the process. The little girl can't help but giggle at her nanny's excitement. she smiles up hopefully at Merka when the caretaker finally reaches her charge. 

Merka smiles back. "The release papers have all been signed. You're free to come home, Jamie!"

Jamie squeals as she finally gets the news she'd been waiting so anxiously for and Sweetie jumps happily around the two's feet. Dr. Grace quickly cuts in on their joy. 

"Yes, Jamie, you can go home, but you must remember to take your medicine and no extraneous activity for some time," Dr. Grace explains. Jamie nods enthusiastically willing to do anything to get out of the prison she'd been trapped in for the last three months. 

Merka nods and asks, "So, are you ready to go home?" 

Jamie responses with a resounding yes as Sweetie yelps in agreement. Merka leads Jamie out of her room and into the hallway where they put her in a wheelchair to be taken out of the hospital. 

Jamie can't help but fidget in her wheel chair as they draw closer to the exit. She gets up when she sees the exit and walks over to it stopping at the edge of of the door. She takes a deep breath before taking her first step to her freedom. She closes her eyes as she savors the fresh air with her puppy by her side. Dr. Grace rolls her eyes and calls out a goodbye before rushing off to take care of her other patients.

Merka puts the wheelchair away before heading outside to find a bouncing Jamie waiting for her. Merka laughs and leads her charge to the limo owned by Jamie's parents. 

Jamie spends the whole ride home staring out the window with her face pressed up against the glass like a puppy in a pet shop. She wants to take in as much of what she had been missing as quickly as possible. Sweetie sits across from Jamie with her head out the window enjoying the view but for very different reasons than her owner. 

Jamie's eyes widen and a grin splits across her face as she gets her first glimpse of her home. She scrambles away from the window and over to Merka's side. She grabs Merka's hands while sitting on her knees and staring excitedly into her nanny's face. 

"Will mommy and daddy be there to greet me?" Jamie asks hopefully . 

Those hopes were soon crushed as Merka quickly avoids eye contact and bites her lip. Sure signs that the nanny is about to impart bad news. Jamie's face fell as all the joy of her release leaks out of her at the news she would not be seeing her parents. 

Jamie slumped against the chair looking gloomily at the floor as Sweetie crawled over from her window perch to lay her head on Jamie's lap and whine. Merka looks at her charge with a gaze full of pity and regret.

Merka scrambles to find something to say that would cheer the girl up but nothing comes to mind. She sputters helplessly trying to grasp onto something as Jamie pets Sweetie looking downcast. The limo stops and the mood suddenly changes as Jamie reminds herself she's home and therefore wasn't in the hospital.

Jamie smile, happy to finally be home. Merka smiles back relieved that Jamie's mood seems to have improved. She tries to cheer up as well as she takes Jamie inside to get settled. Jamie goes to race Sweetie to her room when Merka stops her. 

"Jamie, remember what Grace said," Merka reminds her. 

Jamie nods and walks up the stairs to her room. When she reaches it, she finds it exactly the same as when she left. She grins as she looks around to make sure Merka wasn't around before running forward and jumping onto her queen-sized bed. Jamie falls on the soft pink comforter and giggles as Sweetie jumps up beside her licking her face. 

Jamie struggles against the dog before finally escaping and hugging Sweetie. She kisses the dog's head and whispers, "I missed you too..."

Suddenly, there is a loud bang from downstairs. Girl and dog look at each other, the door, and then each other again. Jamie raises an eyebrow and her eyes fill with amusement as she says Merka's name as if that explained it all, which it must have seeing as the dog gave no argument against it. 

Jamie and Sweetie sneak downstairs and to the kitchen to find Merka trying to lift the refrigerator back to its rightful place. She had somehow made it fall forward onto the floor. Jamie looks at Sweetie with amused eyes before entering the room. 

Merka immediately straightens up but whacks her elbow on the counter behind her. The nanny bites her tongue as her eyes water and she rubs the abused joint in an attempt to relieve the pain. Jamie and Sweetie wince in sympathy as they draw nearer.

"Are you alight?" Jamie asks in concern. "What happened in here?" 

Merka looks at the floor sheepishly. "I was just trying to open the fridge. . . " she explains gesturing towards the fridge while Sweetie circles it sniffing. 

Jamie nods. "Let me help," Jamie says leaning down.

Merka shakes her head. "No, no, no!" She objects. " This is much too heavy for you in your condition. I can do it!"

Jamie pouts. "But... I want to help. . . " she says looking down with a frown. Merka knew that Jamie wouldn't give up so she changed the subject to distract the girl.

"You can't help because you need to prepare for school tomorrow," Merka explains trying to get Jamie to leave. 

Her distraction works as expected. Jamie's face lights up. "Really?" She asks excitedly. "I'm allowed to go?"

Merka nods and Jamie heads off to her room to plan out what she'll wear, what she'll bring, and to imagine how many friends she would make. Merka shakes her head and smiles as she watches the eight years old leave. 

Merka then looks at the fridge with a frown. "Now... how am I going to get this back up?" She asks herself.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jamie couldn't stop fidgeting as she rode the limo to school. Merka is explaining once more about things Jamie should and shouldn't do at school, but she had heard the whole thing last night and was too excited to listen to it again now. Her stomach was full of butterflies at the thought of all the people she would meet today. Kids her age! Merka notices Jamie's inattentiveness and pokes her to draw her attention. Jamie looks over at her sheepishly knowing she'd been caught. 

"Sorry, Merka, but I'm just so excited!" Jamie explains .

Merka smiles and nods. "I understand," she says before shooing Jamie out of the vehicle since they had arrived at the school. Jamie leaps out but doesn't land well as she feels a sudden on slaughter of dizziness. 

Merka is by her side immediately grabbing Jamie's arms gently but firmly. "Jamie?" She says worriedly. "Perhaps we should wait until tomorrow?"

Jamie shakes her head violently. "No! I'm fine, Miss. Merka! Please, let me go! Please, please, please?" She pleads with wide desperate eyes. Merka pauses before nodding.

Merka walks Jamie to the office where they obtain the things they need before heading to Jamie's classroom. As they stand outside the door, Jamie pushes Merka away. "I can take it from here," she says confidently. 

Merka hesitates a moment still concerned for Jamie's health but finally gives in and leaves after giving Jamie a few more instructions and talking to her teacher, Mrs. Travis.

While Merka and Mrs. Travis were talking, Jamie peeked through the doorway at all her curious classmates. She smiles at them thinking about how one of them could be her future BFF. Jamie can't help but giggle at the thought. 

Finally, Merka leaves and the teacher brings Jamie inside the classroom to introduce her. 

"Class, this is Jamie Masterson. She's joining us after a leave of absence. I hope you all make her feel welcome," Mrs. Travis says before turning to the little girl. "Jamie, would you like to tell us about yourself?" 

Jamie nods enthusiastically. "Hi! I'm Jamie and my dog is Sweetie. My parents are really busy and important people. I really look forward to getting to know you all and becoming friends!" The girl says cheerfully. 

The teacher then had Jamie take her seat near the back of the room. Shortly after that, class began. Jamie was surprised to find out she was ahead of them due to her homeschooling lessons she had before her hospitalization. 

She happily answers every question but then notices she's getting strange looks from the other students. She doesn't understand them and thinks that maybe they're just impressed at her smarts. Smiling, Jamie thinks to herself how easy it will be to make friends. 

Having gotten lost in her thoughts, Jamie doesn't immediately notice that the bell has rung for recess or what it really signifies. That is, until a crumpled piece of paper hits her head. She winces not from any real pain but from surprise as she looks around to see who threw it. 

Jamie spots a blonde haired boy wearing a smirk looking right at her. She looks back down realizing that the paper is a note. Excited, she looks up and smiles at the boy. He snickers as she goes to read it. 

"Hey smartie pants," she reads. "You think you're so smart but you're not. Don't even try to make friends because no one wants to be your friend. You should just leave!"

Jamie frowns and looks back up to search for the boy when she notices the room is empty. Mrs. Travis is waiting for her at the doors. The teacher smiles at Jamie. "It's time for recess," she explains. "Be sure not to over do it, alright?"

Jamie smiles and reassures the teacher she won't as she goes outside to meet all her new classmates. She puts the note from her mind; not believing for a moment that no one would want to be her friend. There had to be one person, at least.

That's all Jamie really wants. Someone to talk to and to help her conquer her loneliness. She really wants her parents, but seeing as they are unavailable, she'd take a friend. Someone to tell the things that she couldn't tell Merka. Someone who'd visit her in the hospital. Someone who she could trust and who would make her home feel less empty.

Jamie stops at the edge of the playground and takes it all in. The environment is full of energy and joy that seems infectious as it sinks into the girl. She spots a little girl on the edge of the playground and goes over to talk to her. 

"Hello! I'm Jamie! Who are you?" She greets trying to sound as friendly as possible. 

However, it doesn't seem to work as the other girl looks up at Jamie in horror. "Um..." she says. "I'm really not supposed to talk to you... sorry." 

With that the girl left. Jamie frowns and looks around the playground to find many of the kids pointing and whispering about her. She finds the blonde kid from before in a group of other boys and heads over there.

"Why don't you like me? Why did you send me that note?" Jamie asks feeling hurt that someone would so openly hate her. 

The boy sneers and pushes Jamie down. "Why would anyone like someone like you? I told you that no one would want to be your friend so why don't you just go away?" He goads. 

Tears fill Jamie's as at the boy's abuse. "I don't understand... someone like me? What do you mean?" She asks.

Before the boy can answer, another boy tugs on his sleeve. "Adam!" The boy says. "A teacher is coming!" 

Adam glares at Jamie a second longer before sauntering off with his entourage. Jamie continues to lay there for a few moments trying to process her first ever bullying experience. she eventually gets up and dusts herself off before going over to a shady tree and sitting under it trying to understand why Adam is so mean. 

She spends the rest of the day trying to befriend people but failing. It seemed they were all either afraid of Adam or on his side. It appeared Jamie would not be making friends today.

Or the rest of the week either. Adam kept everyone away from her making Jamie feel more isolated at school than she did at home. She was so upset that she couldn't make even one friend and felt that perhaps she was just unlikable. She just wished there was a way to make Adam stop.

She felt like she couldn't tell Merka and there was no one at school she could talk to. Feeling like she just needed time to think alone, Jamie walked off school grounds while waiting for her limo. She was unaware that she was being followed until Adam shoves her into an alleyway. 

He sneers down at her. She falls as she began to feel fatigued and lightheaded. Her vision goes black and she hears a scream. When she is finally see again, she finds a bullfrog sitting in front of her. Blinking, she looks around for Adam only to hear his voice.... coming from the frog. 

"What have you done?!?"


	2. The Bullfrog Bully~ Part 2

"What have you done?!?" the panicked frog exclaimed jumping up and down anxiously. 

Jamie jumps back putting her hand to her chest. "A t-talking frog?" She says with wide eyes. "I- uh... don't know what you're talking about.... where's A-Adam?" 

The frog stops jumping and does some sort of strange froggie pout. "I am Adam! You're a witch! Turn me back!" Adam the frog demanded. 

Jamie frowns and stares at the animal claiming to be Adam. She hesitantly picks him up as he struggled in her grasp, swinging his little legs at her like he is try to punch her. She opens her mouth to say something when a black limo pulls up just outside the alleyway she and the frog are in. She quickly puts Adam in her backpack as Merka leaps out of the vehicle and rushes over to Jamie. 

"What were you thinking?!?" Merka cries out as she helps Jamie up. "You shouldn't run off like that, Jamie. Especially with... why did you go off by yourself?"

The little girl smiles weakly up at Merka still reeling over her bully becoming a frog. She just shrugs as she is dragged to the limo and made to sit down inside. 

"I just..." she starts before pausing to think. She hates lying but she doesn't want Merka to know how bad school is or how her bully has suddenly turned into an animal. "needed some air..." she finishes. It technically wasn't a lie so she didn't feel as guilty about it.

Merka eyes her ward confused at her actions before nodding, accepting that answer. Jamie lets out a sigh of relief until she notices her bag moving. She glances over at Merka before kicking it. She grimaces hoping she didn't hurt him. She just wanted to make sure he wasn't discovered. He'd kept quiet so far but that didn't mean he'd stay that way. She prayed they'd be home soon so she could take Adam up to her room away from Merka's prying eyes. 

They sit quietly through the ride with Jamie looking out the window trying to appear calm before inevitably glancing nervously at her bag and Merka who was in a world of her own checking off all the things she needs to get done today. When the limo finally passes through the gates to Jamie's home, the eight year old was about ready to have an anxiety attack from worrying so much about the frog boy in her backpack. 

As soon as the limo stopped, Jamie jumped out and walked up to her room as quickly as Merka would allow. She stops in her room and gently puts her bag down on her bed while Sweetie watched curiously from her doggie bed. Jamie opens up her bag and Adam jumps out onto Jamie's face. 

The girl shrieks and pushes the frog off. Adam lands on the bed but tumbles off the side from the momentum. Merka hears the noise and looks up from the bottom of the stairs. "Everything alright?" She calls up.

Jamie goes over to the door shouts that she's fine before going back over to Adam frowning at him. The frog is jumping around the room curiously and in awe. "Where are we?" he asks.

Jamie sits on her bed feeling out of breath. She takes a deep one and slowly lets it out. "We're in my room," she replies. 

Adam hops onto Jamie's bed again as Sweetie trots over and stands on her back two legs with her paws on the bed. She extends her nose towards Adam to sniff him and the frog screams jumping into Jamie's arms. 

"Don't let it eat me!" Adam croaks in terror with his cheeks extending out to make him appear bigger. 

Jamie giggles at the boy's antics. She sets him down on the bed and hugs Sweetie while petting her. "Sweetie won't hurt you. She's my best friend. She's just curious about you," Jamie says kissing the top of the dog's head. She and Sweetie then turn and stare at Adam curiously without saying anything. 

Adam starts to get angry at their lack of action and yells at them. "Well! What are you going to do?" he demands. "You turned me into a frog and now you have to turn me back!"

Jamie shakes her head. "I didn't turn you into a frog... at least I don't think I did..." she says sounding uncertain of herself. "I mean, I've never done anything like that before...."

Adam bounces up and down on the bed in fury. "You did it, you witch! Turn me back, turn me back, TURN ME BACK!" he shouts throwing a tantrum. 

Jamie jerks back in surprise. She presses her hands on either side of her cheeks in concern as she thinks deeply on what to do about the frog boy in her room. She glances at Sweetie in exasperation hoping the dog might have a plan. Sweetie stares back with wide eyes as if to say, 'what are you looking at me for? I don't know anymore than you!'.

The little girl sighs and looks around for inspiration. She then spots her bookshelf and gets an idea. "What if... what if we find a princess to kiss you!" Jamie exclaims in excitement. "That always works in the fairy tales! It'll work for you too, I bet."

Jamie nods in satisfaction sure it'll work but Adam simply stops jumping and shakes his froggie head which is rather funny to see since it seems to shake his entire body. "No way! Where are we gonna find a princess anyway?" Adam says killing Jamie's hopes at a solution.

The eight year old frowns. "Yeah... you're right. I didn't think of that..." she says thinking really hard again. After several moments she grabs Adam and stands with a triumphant smile. "Maybe any girl would work. I could kiss you and then maybe you'll be human again!"

Adam's froggie cheeks turn bright red as he stops struggling in Jamie's grasp. "N-NO WAY!" he shouts not able to look her in the eye. "I'm not... I'm not gonna kiss a loser like you! Not in a million years! I'd rather stay a toad..." 

The girl frowns and looks down sadly as she sets the frog down. "Oh..." she sighs before going over to sit by the window. "I don't know what to do then... I'm sorry..."

Adam huffs and glares at her indignantly before noticing how close he is to Sweetie when the dog's hot pants blew out onto his skin. He squeaks and hops away hiding behind a pillow. Jamie looks over and smiles about to comment when there's a knock on the door.

Merka comes in without waiting for Jamie's reply and smiles at the child. "Ready for dinner, Jamie?" she asks cheerfully. 

Jamie nods excitedly while completely forgetting about Adam for a moment. "Are mommy and daddy coming?" she asks with wide eager eyes and a grin. "They promised they would!" 

Merka pauses and bites her lip. Jamie's face falls. "They aren't coming..." she whispers to herself before putting on a brave face for Merka. "Ok... I guess it's just you and me then..." she says attempting to smile while tears sting her eyes. 

Merka sighs and nods sadly while she tries to regain her cheerful attitude. "Yep, nothing wrong with that. I fixed your favorite!" Merka promises in a sing-song voice. 

Jamie nods as she gets up and follows Merka out of the room glancing back at Adam before heading downstairs. Adam watches her go from his hiding spot behind the pillow wondering what that was about and why her parents weren't around.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A few days later, Adam scolds Jamie at the edge of the playground at school where they are sitting. The duo was no closer to figuring out how to turn him back than they were when it first happened. They tried everything they could think of: voodoo, spells off the internet, and even the kiss. None of it worked. Adam's parents sent out posters with his face on them around town looking for their lost son. The frog boy couldn't return as he is now so he has to stay with Jamie at her mansion. 

Jamie is near tears as the little amphibian shouts at her. She doesn't know what else to do, and she knows this is all her fault. Adam notices Jamie's sparkling eyes and suddenly feels bad for making her cry. She has been nothing but kind and helpful while he does nothing but yell at her all the time. 

The frog jumps onto Jamie's shoulder and sits there sighing. "Look... I-" he starts before changing his mind. After all, she doesn't deserve an apology. She did this to him and she is the spoiled little princess that has everything while he and his family had to work all the time for every little thing. "Hope you have another plan and soon because I am done waiting," he finishes angrily. 

Jamie gets up and nods while wiping her eyes a bit. "Ok... I- I'll think of something. I promise!" She says as some of Adam's friends approach her. They sneer and surround the poor girl. 

"What? Can't find friends so you're talking to animals now?" one of them says as the others laugh. 

Adam frowns. "Hey!" he calls to get their attention but none of them seem to understand him.

Jamie crosses her arms and looks away without responding. The tears return as the boys bug her. She wants to run away from it all but she has no where to go and no one to turn to. She suddenly blinks as she starts to feel dizzy. Jamie quickly sits down and puts her head between her knees hoping it will go away as the boys continue to mock her.

Her sudden decent forces Adam to jump off her shoulder as he watches her in confusion. He had seen her do this randomly every now and then and he has noticed how she never joins in activities like playing, running around, or PE. She always sits out. She also seems to get tired quickly. He wonders what her problem is and hopes she's not getting sick because he really wants to turn back as quickly as possible.

Meanwhile, Jamie can barely hear the boys' taunts over the buzzing in her head. It slowly passes and she looks up at them like she just noticed they are there. The teacher notices that Jamie is on the ground surrounded by other children and rushes over.

"Jamie, are you alright?" Mrs. Travis asks as she helps the little girl up. Jamie nods still unsteady on her feet. She holds onto Mrs. Travis's hand for support as the teacher leads her away from the group. "Are you sure? You're not straining yourself are you?" the teacher reiterates. 

Jamie gives the adult a shaky smile. "I'm fine, promise. I was just a little dizzy..." she explains. 

Mrs. Travis nods and gives the girl a reassuring pat on the head. "Very well but why don't you sit over here and rest for the remained of recess?" the teacher asks leading Jamie over to a bench. Jamie nods and sits back looking up at the clouds thinking.

Adam hops after them and jumps up onto the bench next to Jamie. "What was that about?" he asks curiously.

Jamie just smiles weakly at him and shakes her head. "It's nothing really. Don't worry about..." she says. Adam goes to challenge this when Jamie continues. "I think I have an idea..."

Adam hops to the top of the bench and nearly falls off. He regains his balance and sits up there looking Jamie in the eyes. "Really?"

The eight year old nods. "Yeah... what if we go see your parents? Maybe I'm not responsible. Maybe it's a family thing?" she explains.

The frog just glares at her. "You think turning into a frog is a family thing?" he demands incredulously. "No way! They would've told me!" 

Jamie shrugs. "It's worth a shot at least... tell me where you live and we can walk there after school, ok?"

Adam reluctantly goes along with her plan and gives her directions. They leave as soon as the bell rings and Jamie leaves her backpack explaining it had a device that Merka used to find her when she is lost in it so she couldn't take it. 

Jamie follows the directions exactly and enters a neighborhood with small run down houses. She slows down and looks around never having been in the poorer part of town before. She glances at the different houses curiously while Adam gripes at her to get a move on.

"Stop staring and get going! I know it's not as pretty as your fancy mansion but that doesn't mean you can judge it," Adam huffs tugging on Jamie's hair with his slimy fingers. 

The girl nods and speeds up again stopping when Adam tells her to. "Here we are," he says nervously. "What's the plan?"

"I talk to them..." Jamie says before going up to the door and ringing the doorbell. Not a sound is heard and she frowns. 

"It doesn't work..." Adam whispers to her. Jamie nods in understanding and knocks on the door. She waits patiently with her hands clasped behind her back. 

The door opens to reveal a rather pretty yet tired looking woman with the same hair and eye color as Adam. She looks down at the girl in confusion. "Can I help you?" Adam's mom asks. 

Jamie nods with a smile. "Hi, I'm Jamie Masterson," she says cheerfully in greeting. "I'm a.... friend of Adam's and I was wondering if I could talk to you?"

Jamie and Adam soon find themselves sitting in his kitchen as his mother makes tea. "So, you're a friend of Adam's?" the frog's mother asks, her voice cracking on his name. 

Jamie nods. "Yep, I've missed him a lot since he's disappeared so I wanted to talk to you. I thought maybe..." Jamie says before pausing not knowing how to continue. She really has no idea what to say. How does one ask if someone has a history of turning into frogs in their family? It seems pretty impossible to bring up in a normal conversation...

However, Adam's mother nods in understanding as she leans against the counter facing the strange girl. "Adam is a strange boy. He's always been so good at helping us around the house and watching his little baby brother. I still can't believe he's gone..." she says as tears fill her eyes. 

Jamie frowns as she watches the older woman. She fidgets in her chair feeling guilty. It's all her fault that Adam's mom is so sad. She opens her mouth to say something; to reveal what she knows where Adam is and show that he is fine but she is interrupted as the teapot starts wailing at them. 

She looks down as she feels a nudge at her feet and sees the frog shaking his head. Jamie nods understanding that he doesn't want to be revealed just yet and turns her attention back to the sorrowful mother. The adult hands Jamie a cup of tea before sitting across from the girl with her own cup. 

"Jamie, where are your parents?" Adam's mom asks suddenly. "They couldn't just let you wonder to some stranger's house alone..."

Jamie panics for a moment before smiling. "I walked here because I really wanted to talk to you. I can call them now if it would make you feel better," she offers. 

The mother nods in relief and has Jamie call Merka immediately. Jamie winces when Merka answers. "Where are you?!?" the nanny shouts from over the phone. Jamie explains everything and hangs up with the promise of being grounded when she is picked up.

Jamie looks sheepishly over at the other woman as she looks at the younger girl knowingly in return. "So?" Adam's mother asks with an arched eyebrow. 

"My nanny, Merka, will be here soon to get me..." Jamie explains tugging on her sleeve nervously. "Um... I was wondering. Where is Adam's dad? Can I talk to him too?" she then asks.

Adam's mom shakes her head. "He's at work. He and I work quite a bit so we don't have much time to see each other or our children. Adam's brother is four and goes to daycare while Adam's in school. I wish things were different though. If we could've spent more time with them then maybe Adam wouldn't have felt the need to run away..." she says sighing.

Adam croaks in distress from under the table. His mother thought he had run away? He would never abandon his family! They needed him...

Jamie frowns down at him and tries to convey with her eyes that he needs to stay quiet. His mother was frowning and looking around. "Was that.... a frog I heard?" she asks in confusion.

The girl quickly shakes her head. "No!" She squeaks. The frog's mother frowns suspiciously at Jamie with her brows furrowed. Luckily Jamie is saved by a knock at the door. They both go to see who it is and discover Merka has arrived. Merka apologises profusely to Adam's mother and thanks her for taking care of Jamie before swiftly escorting Jamie to the limo and taking her home.

The girl gets quite the scolding as they head home and is sent to her room right away when they arrive. She lays back on her bed letting out a tired sigh. She is exhausted from all that walking and just wants to take a nap now that she's safe in her own home. Adam jumps up beside her and glares. She looks over at him questioningly.

"Well? You didn't get anything figured out, did you?" the frog gripes. Jamie's eye immediately fill with tears.

"I'm sorry, Adam...." she whispers. Adam opens his mouth to say more when the duo hear Merka's raised voice walking down the hall.

"Your daughter goes missing and you don't even care enough to show up?!" Merka demands. "She could be acting out like this to get your attention! Have you ever thought of that?"

There is a long pause before the nanny continues, "I'm sorry, Mr. Masterson, but it's the truth. Are you coming home tonight or not?" Another pause. "Fine... I'll tell her at dinner."

Merka then gets too far for them to hear and Jamie curls up in a ball on top of her covers knowing exactly what that is about. Adam frowns and looks between the door and Jamie. "What was that?" he asks.

Jamie smiles at him. "It was nothing... Merka just wanted my parents to come for once..."

The frog looks at her in surprise. "This is their home. Why don't they? Why haven't I seen them?" He asks as he makes room for Sweetie who had jumped on the bed to comfort Jamie.

The sad little girl shakes her head and hugs Sweetie to her. "I'm jealous of you, Adam..." she says against her dog's soft fur.

Adam scoffs. "No way! You have everything! I hate you because you can have whatever you want, whenever you want, and everyone just steps aside for you!" the frog complains. "My parents are gone all the time to work just so we have a roof over our heads. I can't go out and do fun stuff like all the other kids.... I just hate it..."

Jamie gives him a watery grin. "I'd give anything for what you have, Adam..." she whispers.

"And what's that? I have nothing," he says angrily.

"You have your family, Adam... you get to see them every day. They love you and they would do anything for you. You even have a sibling to spend time with so you're never alone. I-I have Merka and Sweetie but.... it's not the same..."

Adam stares at her in surprise. He sits there quietly as he thinks about what she said. He couldn't imagine not ever seeing his parents or playing with his little brother or not getting tucked in every night. He hops over to Jamie hestitantly. 

"I.... I'm sorry, Jamie. I'm sorry for being so mean to you. I was just mad 'cause you seemed to have so much, but... I can see now that you have everything but the important stuff. Can you... forgive me?" he asks shyly.

Jamie gives him a sleepy smile before nodding. "Of course..." she says as she drifts off to sleep. Adam beams as he curls up by her and falls asleep too. 

Later Merka opens the door to call Jamie to dinner and screams to find Adam in her charge's room. The shriek wakes up the two sleeping children and they look around confused before noticing that Adam had returned to his former human self. 

Jamie smiles widely as Adam looks over at her in stunned excitement. "You're you again!" Jamie exclaims happily as Adam grins back at her and Sweetie jumps up licking Adam's face.


	3. Peace at Last?

Little Jamie Masterson walks happily out of the hospital after her check up with Dr. Grace. It had been a little over a week since Adam had returned to human form and not much has changed at school. She is no longer bullied but the other students continue to ignore her, including Adam. She doesn't let that get her down today though because Dr. Grace said she is doing well and won't have to come back for another month.

Jamie settles down in the car and leans against Merka with a contented smile on her face. Merka looks down at the girl and grins. She had been worried about her wayward ward since the little one had been acting strange recently but she seems to be back to normal. The nanny puts her arm around Jamie and holds her in relief that whatever troubled the little girl is gone. They remain like that in a comfortable silence for the rest of the way home.

When they get back to Jamie's mansion, she jumps out of the car and hugs Sweetie who had run over as soon as the dog saw her young master. Jamie giggles and says, "Hey, Sweetie! I don't have to go back again 'till next week!"

The dog yips in excitement and Jamie grins as she stands. She and Sweetie walk inside together and head for her play room while Merka follows behind before heading off to do her chores. Jamie and Sweetie spend the next few hours playing together with Jamie's stuffed animals and dolls before they both fall asleep on the floor of the play room cuddled up together. Merka comes in and looks at them lovingly before picking Jamie up and putting her on her bed with Sweetie trailing after. She leaves the two on Jamie's bed snoozing together even though the girl's parents would throw a fit if they saw a dog on the bed. 

The next day Jamie gets ready for school in record time and hops down the stairs to Merka who is waiting for her with her packed lunch by the door. They two get in the limo and have an uneventful trip to the school talking about this and that on the way. When they get there, Jamie gets out and waves goodbye to Merka before heading to class with her bagged lunch in hand and her pack on her back. 

In the classroom, the other students are chatting excitedly amongst themselves. Jamie wonders what it's about but knowing no one would tell her. She just goes back and puts her stuff away before sitting in her seat. She swings her legs back and forth as she waits for class to begin when everyone suddenly hushed and a little girl with dark pigtails and chocolate colored eyes walks into the room. The new girl stands nervously in front of the class next to the teacher and is introduced to the class. 

"This is Katherine Laiseen. She is a transfer student from Stonebrookes and I hope you all welcome her to our school," Mrs. Travis says. "Katherine, anything you would like to tell us about yourself or Stonebrookes?"

The new girls grins. "I go by Kat and I'm really looking forward to being friends with you all," she says with a gleeful gleam in her big, brown eyes.

Mrs. Travis nods and sends her back to sit by Jamie who straightens up immediately. Kat skips back to sit by Jamie and smiles before turning her attention to the teacher as class began. Jamie is very excited about this new development as this could mean she could finally make a friend like she's been wanting to all this time. She has to bite her lip to keep from talking to Kat during class and practically jumps out of her seat when it's time for recess. 

Jamie turns to Kat and puts out her hand. "I'm Jamie. It's really nice to meet you. I'm new too but I can show you around if you want?" she offers hopefully.

Kat nods. "Ok! Let's play together!" she agrees taking Jamie's hand and running out the door to the playground. 

Jamie giggles and tries to keep up as they quietly climb to the top of the jungle gym. The two girls are out of breath by the time they get to the top but continue to grin at each other.

"Jamie, let's be best friends, ok?" Kat asks cheerfully. Jamie nods enthusiastically before frowning. She thinks about how the other kids act around her and fears that Kat will start doing the same.

"I would love to be friends but all the other kids ignore me. If we're friends then they might ignore you too..." Jamie explains hugging herself.

Kat looks down with her face scrunched up in deep thought before laughing. "I want to be your friend and if the others are being meanies then we'll just have to change their minds," she says hugging Jamie.

Jamie gives Kat a watery smile and hugs back before giggling. The two play together all recess and talk all through lunch. Just as Jamie predicted, the other kids try to pull Kat away; but when the new girl refuses, they start ignoring her too. Kat doesn't seem to mind though and keeps insisting they'll change the other's minds later. 

Jamie goes home feeling anxious to go back to school for the first time since she started. She goes to sleep that night with dreams of slumber parties and secret friendship codes.

Another week goes by and, while they don't change anyone's minds about talking to Jamie, the two become inseparable. They learn all about each other and make plans for future play dates together. Jamie discovers that Kat has a severe case of asthma and that she needs to be careful just like Jamie. 

It makes her happy that she and her friend could relate to each other and they both recounted their numerous tales of ER visits and complaints about the boredom of being stuck in the hospital. They also had their fair share of funny nurse stories. Jamie also learns that Kat has has an older brother and hopes to meet him someday because Kat makes him sound so awesome in all her tales of him.

While the two girls were getting closer, Adam was getting closer to solving Jamie's problems at school. While he may have started the crusade against Jamie, others seem to have taken it over and continued it. To stop the crusade, he needs to stop them. He has been convincing them to leave Jamie alone since he returned to school. Now he has them nearly convinced to stop all together especially with Jamie and Kat being friends now. 

By this time tomorrow, Adam would have a big surprise in store for Jamie when she comes to school. He grins at the thought as he watches Kat and Jamie talk at the edge of the playground before walking over to his friends.

The next day starts off completely ordinary for Jamie. She goes to school, meets up with Kat, and learns in class. She and Kat have plans to go over to Kat's house this weekend since Merka and Kat's parents had met last weekend and talked it over. Jamie and Kat walk outside as usual when they get the surprise of their lives. Many of their classmates rush over to them and invite the duo to play tag with them. 

The two outcasts agree naturally. Kat grins with a knowing look in her eyes like she expected this to happen while Jamie follows the other students a bit stunned. They play for a while before they are exhausted and have to sit out. Adam comes over and sits by Jamie with a mischievous smirk on his face. Jamie looks him over suspiciously. 

"What did you do, Adam?" she asks curiously. Kat watches the two happily before going off to talk to someone else to give them privacy. 

"Just helped out a friend," Adam explains and Jamie hugs him. He blushes and pulls away. "It was the least I could do since you kinda helped me return from being a frog..."

Jamie grins. "Thanks, Adam. You're the best," she says. 

"I know," he says before pulling her back to the other students who are finally accepting her.

Jamie's nightmares are finally over. Her classmates welcome her, the bullfrog bully is her friend now, and she has her very best friend Kat who stood by her side through it. She wouldn't have to worry about bullies ever again and school is now a place of joy that she had imagined.

It was around this time that Jamie saw a boy sneaking off with someone else's toy. Not wanting her classmate to feel sad about missing their favorite robot, she goes to confront him on her own not wanting to let bullies put her down any longer. She reaches out and touches the theif's arm when she suddenly feels dizzy. Her vision goes black momentarily and when it clears the theif is gone.

Her eyes widen and she bites her lip before looking down. Sure enough there sits a distressed looking weasel staring up at her with big black eyes. Jamie sighs. "Not again..."


End file.
